The Avenger Initiative
by SilverHeart09
Summary: All the superheroes from around the world have assembled and are ready to take on their deadliest foe yet! Will Bruce get anger management? Will Tony get with Pepper? Will Tony stop calling Natasha 'Natashalie' Read and find out!  Then review!
1. Meet Bessie

_I was really hoping that I'd have finished this story by the time I put it up but that clearly isn't going to happen anytime soon because I'm having such fun writing it!_

_Please review!_

Bessie Sprint hopped from one foot to the other in the queue in an effort to keep warm.

'Next!' called the old brown-haired man from the counter.

'Name?' he asked, hardly bothering to look up as she approached.

'Elizabeth Sprint,' Bessie replied, brushing her short red hair out of her face.

'Age?'

'17.'

'Date of birth?'

'Um… March 15… 1993.'

The man looked up at her, 'you don't sound sure about that,' he said.

'That's my birthday,' Bessie said firmly.

The man shrugged and looked back down. 'School or college?'

'The Massachusetts Institute of Technology.'

_That _got the man's attention. 'You go to MIT?' he asked staring at her in wonder.

'Yes, I do.'

The man looked incredulous. 'That's quite a way from here.'

'I manage.'

The man raised an eyebrow. 'What do you study?'

'Biological engineering.'

'Wow, although, if you go to a school like MIT I can't see why you'd need a job, it's only rich kids that go there. That Tony Stark, he went there and look how he turned out.'

'Flying around California in a metal suit?'

'Well quite. So why do you need a job if you're rich?'

'I won a scholarship, I'm not rich.'

'Impressive, alright, I need you to sign… wow, speak of the devil.'

Bessie turned around, just in time to see Iron Man crash into the pavement, bringing up a wave of concrete.

'Sorry kid we're closed,' the man said, running out the shop to join the crowd outside.

'But… I need…' Bessie stared after him and turned back to the form on the table. She filled the rest of it in and signed her name at the bottom, before pushing it onto the pile with the others and going back outside, pulling her thin jacket tighter as snow began to fall around her.

A large crowd of people had already formed around where Iron Man was standing up in the middle of the road. However Iron Man had hardly caught his balance before a large black shape smashed into him and sent him spinning through the air.

Bessie looked around; Iron Man had landed somewhere out of sight and the crowd were shouting so loudly it was hurting her head. She glanced around her. No-one was looking at the small, skinny girl with red hair, pale skin and green eyes wearing a faded pair of ripped jeans, a thin black cotton t-shirt, faded trainers and a worn black jacket, red scarf knotted around her neck.

_Leave him, don't go after him. _

Bessie sighed and turned, creeping into an alleyway and tightened her scarf so she wouldn't lose it. She then crouched down into a sprinter's position and with a soft _boom! _disappeared in the general direction of where Iron Man had gone.

When she reached the spot 0.15 seconds later Bessie straightened up and looked down at her clothes, there were a few more holes in them but on the whole nothing too bad.

Looking around her at the empty street, she saw a crater which Iron Man was sat on the edge of.

_Stupid, stupid, why did you follow him? Do you want _everyone _to know your secret? I mean _seriously.

Bessie didn't move, she only watched as Iron Man pulled off his gloves and removed his helmet, becoming Tony Stark in a matter of seconds. She had to admit that he was actually quite handsome, but at that moment blood was pouring down his face from a gash in his head, probably caused by the helmet. She watched as he dropped his head into his hands and moaned softly.

Bessie turned to walk away but her foot came down on an empty coke can and the result was a _scrunch _that echoed through the deserted street.

Tony Stark looked up, startled, and looked at her.

'Where did you come from so fast?'

Bessie opened her mouth to reply when the black thing dropped down into the street.

Bessie gasped. It was horrible, it vaguely resembled a bear except it was far larger and shrouded in a black mist.

Tony Stark jumped up. 'Stay still,' he said to her. 'Don't move, they're like T-Rex's, their sight isn't all that good.'

Bessie didn't move, trying hard to not even breathe. She hardly saw it when Tony grabbed a fallen glove and pulled it on, repulsing the bear-mutant-thing with it in the chest. The bear-mutant-thing stumbled back and collapsed in the ground.

Tony Stark looked up again, 'what's your name?' he asked. But Bessie was already gone, leaving only footprints in the snow to prove she'd ever been there at all.

Bessie didn't stop running until she'd reached her apartment block in Manhattan, just up the road from the job agency.

Bessie sprinted into it and sank back against the closed door, only standing up when she heard banging from the other side.

Turning round, she saw the landlord glaring at her.

'Where's my money?' he bellowed.

'I don't have it,' Bessie replied, looking down at her jacket and poking a finger through one of the holes.

'If you don't get me my money by tomorrow you're out of here,' the landlord said, marching back down the stairs.

Bessie's room was small and freezing. The actually room itself was tiny, but there was enough in it for a bed, desk (with chair) and a wardrobe. The wardrobe was tiny, but that was okay because Bessie didn't have many outfits to put in it.

The bathroom was connected to the small room and contained a sink, toilet and shower with a miniscule cupboard that Bessie kept plasters and soap in.

Bessie sat down on her bed. The cover was blue and so worn it was turning grey. Bessie turned the heater on but after 3 seconds it gurgled, spluttered and went out.

Bessie knew there was no way she could get the money to the landlord by the next day, but luckily there wasn't much to pack. She could fit all of her belongings into a rucksack with room for more.

Bessie opened a drawer and pulled out her skirt and blouse. She worked at 'The Jazz Room', a jazz club in the middle of the city as a singing waitress. She'd lied to the owner and told him she was 21. She had an air about her that made her seem older than her 17 years and could give her any age she chose under 25.

Bessie pulled the clothes into her rucksack along with the matching heels. She didn't dare run to the bar in them in case she wore them out; unfortunately her clothes couldn't keep up with her supersonic speeds.

Bessie crept out of her room, desperately trying to shut her door as quietly as possible.

It only took her 2 seconds to run to the bar in the middle of Manhattan, it was already busy. Creeping into the changing room at the back, Bessie pulled the clothes on and tied her short red hair back with a hairband, pushing it out of her eyes.

Stepping into the bar, she stopped dead.

Tony Stark was stood in the middle of the room.

Peter Parker was stood there too talking to him. Bessie knew Peter because he was engaged to Mary Jane Watson, a friend of hers who also worked in the bar and was (along with Peter Parker) the only one who knew her secret.

Bessie stood off to the side; concealing herself behind the bar so Stark wouldn't see her if he looked over. Mary Jane saw her and walked over, drying a beer mug as she went.

'Stark's looking for you,' she murmured.

'What does he want?' Bessie asked.

MJ shrugged. 'I don't know, he said he saw you this afternoon.'

'How does he know it was me? He doesn't even know my name!'

'He's Tony Stark, he would have found out somehow. Why did he see you?'

Bessie braved a glance over her shoulder. Stark and Parker had sat down with a beer in their hands.

'Did you hear about what happened this afternoon?' Bessie asked.

MJ nodded. 'Peter was annoyed; he accused Stark of stealing his glory.'

Bessie smiled. 'I saw that black thing hit him, he flew off and landed somewhere. I went after him, God only knows why.'

MJ sighed, 'and he saw you?'

Bessie nodded.

MJ frowned and looked over at the two men. 'Maybe he wants to help you.'

'How could he possibly help me?'

'I don't know, but he helped Pete. There's this camp somewhere. A man named Fury runs it; I think it's called the Avengers. Stark introduced Peter to it. There's training camps and stuff, ways to protect people with…' MJ paused. '… abilities out in the real world when they're fighting.'

Bessie looked over at Tony Stark.

'I think you should talk to him,' MJ said softly. 'I doubt he'll go away otherwise.'

Bessie nodded. 'Cover me will you?' she asked nodding to the manager. MJ nodded and Bessie moved off in the direction of Stark with a rag in her hand to clean the table next to him.

'Hi,' she said.

Tony Stark stood up and held his hand out to her. 'Tony Stark, nice to meet you.'

Bessie shook it, 'Bessie Sprint.'

'I wanted to thank you for saving me this afternoon.'

Bessie stared at him. 'I didn't save you! If anything I got in the way.'

Tony shrugged. 'If you hadn't stood on that coke can I wouldn't have looked up, that black thing would have got me.'

'What was that thing?'

'No idea.'

Bessie looked over at Pete, who waved.

'I'm guessing Miss Watson has given you her views on why I'm here?' Tony asked.

'She mentioned a camp somewhere.'

Tony nodded. 'The Avenger's camp, also known as the boot camp for superheroes.'

'How will it help me?'

Tony looked around him; no-one was looking at them. 'You can run fast, supersonic,' he said dropping his voice. 'The Avengers have been monitoring you. Not spying!' he said quickly when he saw Bessie open her mouth to protest. 'Protecting you, we're not the only ones who know about your power.'

He pulled a card out his pocket with a hastily drawn address on it. 'This is the place. Come round tomorrow evening, I'll introduce you to everyone. I mean you don't have to, obviously, but if you feel you need to, we have training to help you and equipment to help with your studies, we even have a room if you want it.'

Tony pulled a black canvas bag out from under his chair and held it out to her. Opening it cautiously, Bessie found it was full of clothes.

'They're made of a special material,' Tony said. 'They won't wear out when you run.'

He then pulled a roll of $50 notes from his pocket and handed them to her. 'Your rent for the next year,' he said. Before Bessie had a chance to protest he shook her hand again and left.

Bessie stared after him mutely and then looked down at the money and clothes in her hands and turned to Peter Parker, who shrugged. 'He's Tony Stark, that's the way he operates.'

Virginia 'Pepper' Potts stepped down the steps into the workshop below Tony Stark's million dollar Malibu mansion, coffee and clip board in hand.

She could see Tony's legs sticking out from under his Hot Rod and could hear him talking to JARVIS.

'What about the suspension?'

'_I doubt it would last at the speeds you insist on going sir. Good evening Miss Potts.'_

Tony wheeled out from under the car and waved at Pepper.

'You brought me coffee!'

'Consider it an early Christmas present.'

Tony grinned and sat down in his chair, glancing at schematics of the suspension.

Pepper perched on the edge of the desk.

'Did you find her?'

Tony glanced up, 'Bessie? Yeah I did.'

'And?'

Tony leant back in his chair, coffee in hand. 'I told her about boot camp, it's up to her whether she comes or not.'

Pepper glanced over her notes on the clip board and handed some forms to Tony for him to sign.

'How old did you say she was?'

Tony handed the forms back, his messy signature not-so-neatly printed on the bottom.

'To work in that bar you need to be 21, but her record says she's 17. It also says that her name isn't Bessie.'

'What is it?'

'Molly Delaney.'

Pepper looked down at the file Tony was handing her; it only consisted of a few pieces of paper and a small photo of a young girl. 'She lied about her name?'

'And her age. Can't say I blame her, you've gotta get a job somewhere. Not all of us own our own billion-dollar companies.'

Pepper rolled her eyes at him. 'If her name _and _her age is wrong, how do you know this is her? This picture is of a five year old.'

'I had JARVIS record an image of her when I met her and then analyse it with that photo. Perfect match.'

Pepper looked at the photo of the 5 year old girl with the long red hair and green eyes, beaming happily up at the camera. 'The poor thing,' Pepper said sadly. 'What happened to her parents?'

Tony shrugged. 'The records aren't clear. Her mother died 10 years ago, drunk driving accident, she was the drunk driver. Looking at the mother's record it seems that she had a long history of drinking.'

Pepper swatted Tony over the head with the file. 'Remind you of anyone?'

Tony looked up at her, his large brown eyes gazing into hers.

'This was on a much larger scale, Pepper,' he said. 'She was treated for depression numerous times and Bessie's father appeared to be a really nasty piece of work.'

'Oh?'

'Her father has a record of drug addiction and has been diagnosed as an alcoholic; he's been in and out of prison all his life, for all manners of crimes. He's also been arrested for child abuse; Bessie has been in and out of foster homes all her life.' Initiative

Pepper looked at the photo again. 'And she can run fast?'

Tony grinned at her. '_Fast _is an understatement. She can run _supersonic.'_

'Where did you say she lives?'

'Run-down apartment in Manhattan, very near to Peter Parker actually.'

Pepper's brow furrowed and Tony briefly considered calling her adorable, but decided that actually his life was worth more.

Pepper, oblivious to what Tony was thinking, had been trying to pay attention to the duel identities of superheroes.

'Peter Parker… that's, Spiderman?'

Tony grinned and nodded. 'You've been paying attention, Pep.'

'Does Bessie know he's Spiderman?'

Tony nodded, 'and he knows about her power, and… _ouch _damn it!' He said, leaning over and clutching his shoulder.

'Tony?' Pepper said, moving closer.

Tony straightened up, or tried to and then leant over again.

'It's nothing, Pep, I've just got… _ow_… cramp in my shoulder.'

Pepper sighed and placed her hands on Tony's shoulders, massaging her fingertips into the massive knot that had formed under his skin.

Tony stiffened and relaxed.

Pepper let go. 'Better?' she asked.

Tony wriggled his shoulder experimentally. 'Much, cheers Pepper.'

Pepper took his now empty coffee mug, 'that's your shoulder trying to tell you to stop leaning over the computer desk and move around, go for a walk on the beach or something.'

'Do you want to come too?'

Pepper swatted him again and walked out, swaying her hips even more than usual when she realised Tony was staring at her bum… _again._


	2. Decisions

At MIT the next day Bessie couldn't concentrate. She carried on with her experiment, attended an interview with the director who informed her that she'd successfully won a scholarship for the next year, sprinted back to Manhattan from Massachusetts, paid her rent (shocking the landlord) and pulled the address from her pocket, wondering what to do.

It was an address in LA, a part of the state she'd never heard of. It wouldn't take long to get there, 10 minutes possibly.

Bessie sighed and rummaged around in the bag that Tony Stark had given her, hidden under her bed.

She pulled out a pair of skinny jeans, a black vest top and a red sweater, pulling them on and then digging out a pair of brown converses from the bottom.

Tying back her hair, Bessie pulled a map out from under her bed and consulted it.

Finding the place on the map, she planned out the easiest route in her head, left the flat and stepped out into Manhattan.

It was 8 o'clock and the city was buzzing with activity. Bessie crept along behind the throng of people until she arrived in her usual 'starting point'. An empty alleyway 6 blocks from her flat.

Bessie crouched down and started to run, heading west towards California. The world whipped past her as she ran, and not for the first time Bessie wondered what on earth she was doing. The cool wind was like a drug to her, she loved it more than anything else. It kept her alive, kept her alert. Fields and cities flashed past, the ground beneath her new converses barely touched her feet as she flew through the air.

Arriving in LA, Bessie caught up and stopped, staring at the massive city below her. _Malibu. _She was stood on Point Dume, gazing out over the Pacific Ocean. Looking up, she saw the huge mansion that Tony Stark called a 'house.'

Bessie started running again, consulting the map and heading north. The place she eventually arrived at was a huge white building in the middle of nowhere. The lights were on and she could hear laughter coming from inside.

Bessie stepped into what appeared to be the reception. A computer stood behind a curving desk. The walls were white; it reminded her of a waiting room, there was even a bell on the counter to press for assistance.

Bessie eyed the bell nervously and checked under the counter to see if there was anything underneath it. A good idea, as it turned out, because there was an ominous looking red wire leading into an even more ominous looking black box.

'Good idea, I should really do that more often,' came a voice from behind her.

Bessie spun around. There was a man stood behind her, she would guess he was in his early 30s, quite muscled with a thin beard and short brown hair.

'I'm Bruce Banner,' he man said, holding his hand out.

Bessie shook it, 'Bessie Sprint.' His grip was _strong._

The man looked guilty. 'Sorry,' he said. 'I don't know my own strength, that's what Tony says anyway.'

'Is that… Tony Stark?' Bessie asked gingerly.

Bruce nodded. 'He told me you may be coming. Follow me; I'll introduce you to the team.'

Bessie followed him down the corridor, taking care to memorise where she was going, just in case.

The room they finally entered into was large, about the size of an Olympic gymnasium. There were computers everywhere, even an overhead computer projected onto a screen on the opposite wall. The room also contained various sofas and cushions, with a sink and a fridge in a corner.

Many of the computers were already turned on and Bessie spotted various designs already up. At least 10 of the computers in one section of the room had the Stark Industries logo on them.

There were a few people in the room, who looked up when they saw her.

'This is Bessie Sprint,' Bruce said. 'Be nice.'

'Um… hi,' Bessie said waving nervously, and then feeling greatly relived when she spotted Peter Parker over in the corner.

'Hey Bessie!' Pete said waving. 'You made it then?'

'Yeah, just about,' Bessie said.

'You probably know this lot,' Bruce said, motioning towards a group of people crowded round a computer bank in the centre of the room.

Bessie turned to face them.

She did know them.

There was only one female there, a thin blond-haired woman, possibly in her late 20s early 30s, there was a tall man with black hair and curious grey stripes in his hair just above his ears on both sides, there was a young man, probably in his 20s, muscled and with short hair and a cheeky grin, and the fourth member of the group…

He looked like a giant rock.

'Sue Storm, Reed Richards, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm,' Bruce said. 'Also known as the Fantastic Four.'

'Nice to meet you,' Reed said nodding in her direction.

'Hey,' Sue said, coming over to give Bessie a hug. 'Nice to have another girl around here with a super-ability, there's nowhere near enough.'

'Unless you count Pepper Potts,' Johnny said grinning. 'Multi-tasker champion extraordinaire.'

'I think everyone counts Pepper Potts,' said a brown haired woman who walked into the room at that moment.

Bruce grinned like a loon, 'this is Dr Betty Ross,' he said, taking her hand. 'Betty, this is Bessie Sprint.'

'Another Elizabeth then?' Betty asked, shaking Bessie's hand.

'Yes,' Bessie replied, smiling. 'But no-ones called me Elizabeth in a long time.

Betty smiled, 'same,' she said.

'Bessie! You made it!'

Bessie looked up in time to see Tony Stark step into the room. He was wearing baggy jeans and a t-shirt with a strange light shining through it, and he was covered from head to foot in oil.

'I would shake your hand, but I have an oil problem,' Tony said, indicating his shirt.

'What's that light?' Bessie asked, motioning towards the light in the centre of his chest.

'It's an Arc Reactor,' Tony said, crossing over to one of the many computer banks. 'That's a long story.'

'Fixed that car yet?' another voice asked.

A tall black man in a pilot's jumpsuit stepped into the room.

'No,' Tony said, pulling a face at him. 'You bashed it up good and proper.'

The black man looked slightly apologetic, but only slightly. 'I saved your life, buddy,' he said. Then he spotted Bessie.

'Hey,' he said waving. 'I'm James Rhodes, but everyone calls me Rhodey.'

'Or platypus,' Tony mumbled from the computer. Rhodey shot him a dark look.

'I'm Elizabeth Sprint, but everyone calls me Bessie,' Bessie said, returning his wave.

'Tony, did you sign those…? Oh, hi,' a red-headed woman had just stepped into the room wearing the most amazingly high pair of heels that Bessie had ever seen.

'Hi,' Bessie said.

'This is Pepper Potts,' Tony said, grinning like a looney at Pepper. 'She's my girl Friday.'

Pepper grabbed a cushion off one of the sofas and threw it at him. Tony ducked and it headed towards Sue who thrust out her arms and caught it in a force field, bouncing it back at Tony who didn't duck in time. Tony pretended to stagger back under the 'force' of the cushion and accidentally tripped over the sofa behind him, flipping onto his back and rolling onto the floor, bringing a pile of cushions down with him.

Pepper laughed and Bessie could hear Bruce and Rhodey chuckling.

'Very mature,' Tony mumbled from under a mound of cushions.

'Says the guy who's just spent the past 3 hours swearing at a car,' Rhodey said, turning to pour a glass of water.

Tony picked himself up off the floor with as much dignity as he could muster (which was, surprisingly, quite a lot) and threw a cushion at Rhodey, which met its aim at the back of his head while he was turned, causing him to drop water all down his front.

Tony laughed and handed a pile of forms to Pepper, 'early Christmas present,' he said. 'I thought lingerie would have been better but Rhodey disagreed.'

Pepper took the forms and whacked Tony softly around the head with them.

'Will you be staying here?' Sue asked Bessie suddenly.

'I… don't know,' Bessie said.

'Well, you don't have to decide straight away,' Pepper said, 'there are hundreds of rooms here. Even if it's only to have another room to go to if you need to.'

Bessie mulled it over, 'well… I'm okay with the rent on my flat for the next year, but it would be nice to have a heater that works.'

Tony grinned at her.

'If you want to have another room here then I'd be happy to show you,' Pepper offered.

Bessie nodded, 'yes please.'

She could hear Tony and Rhodey arguing about Audi's as she stepped out.


	3. Of Audi's and Pineapples

'You live in Manhattan, don't you?' Pepper asked once they were out of earshot of the main room and heading up the back stairs.

'Yeah, I do,' Bessie said, trying to remember where she was going. Then she thought of something else. 'I don't suppose you'd know how Tony worked out who I was?'

Pepper smiled. 'I do, actually. He has this computer in his helmet that took a picture of you when you met, he analysed it.'

Bessie screwed up her forehead. 'But why would he need to do that if the Avenger's were monitoring me?'

Pepper grinned, 'you're very good at hiding yourself, if it wasn't for that photo you would have outsmarted everyone.'

Bessie sighed, 'just that photo then. But how could Tony analyse it?'

Pepper chose her next words carefully. 'He scanned it through and compared it against different record databases.'

Bessie frowned. 'But… I didn't think I was _on _a record database.'

Pepper held open a door at the top of the staircase for her.

'You were registered on one, when you were five.'

'But how did he find me through that? That was before…' Bessie shut her mouth quickly.

'Before you changed your name?' Pepper said softly, leading her along a brightly lit corridor. 'There was a picture of you as a five year old on the database.'

'Oh.'

Pepper stopped in front of a door with a green light above it and tapped a code into the small keyboard in the space where the keyhole would be.

'You don't have to worry,' she said softly. 'Neither Tony or myself will tell anyone who you really are.'

Bessie nodded mutely. Pepper stood back and motioned at the door. 'This is one of the rooms we have free.'

Bessie pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The carpet was a lush deep purple, the walls were also purple and there was a radiator in the corner that was pouring out heat. The bed had a deep soft mattress covered with a patchwork quilt and surrounded by cushions. There was a desk with a computer on it and a chair, a CD player with a rack of CDs, a mini fridge, a wardrobe and two cupboards, a sofa with more cushions and a blanket thrown over it, and a bookcase already half full with books.

In short, it was the most amazing room Bessie had ever seen.

'Wow,' she said, turning to Pepper. 'And this is mine?'

'If you want it,' Pepper said. Bessie nodded fiercely and crossed over to the window, which overlooked the grounds and courtyard round the back of the building.

'What is this place?' Bessie asked, opening the window a crack to let some air in.

'It _was _a hospital,' Pepper replied. 'But then Nick Fury bought it and turned into the HQ for the Avengers or, as Tony calls it, Super Hero Boot Camp.'

'Who's Nick Fury?' Bessie asked, suddenly realising that she'd heard Mary Jane mention that name.

'He's the director of SHIELD, the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. I'm sure you'll meet him at some point.' Pepper replied dryly.

Bessie put her head on one side. 'Something tells me you don't like him very much.'

Pepper shrugged. 'Sometimes I think he doesn't appreciate the others as much as he should, I just think he has a tendency to think that they're replaceable sometimes.'

'Oh.'

Bessie looked around the room again and asked, 'where's the bathroom?'

Pepper led her back out into the corridor and motioned towards a room at the end. 'That's the bathroom; I can tell you now that it's every girl's dream bathroom.'

Bessie went outside to examine it.

It was set up into 10 cubicles, like at public showers, but each cubicle was about the same size as a bathroom. It was… 10 bathrooms within a bathroom. The showers were high pressure and there was a hot tub, sink and toilet in each cubicle. The walls were painted white and there were pictures hung up around the room.

'This… is way cool,' Bessie decided.

'Miss Sprint, it's nice to meet you.'

Bessie looked up from the car she'd been admiring; Tony Stark's wrecked Audi R8. Bessie was good at mechanics and robotics, one of her friends at MIT studied it and enjoyed it immensely, he was always telling her random facts and as a result Bessie often joined him in the MIT workshop when he was working. Tony Stark appeared to be glad that a girl was interested and practised in how cars and mechanics worked and had been in the process of explaining the V8 engine to her. The Fantastic Four had left and now it was just Bruce, Tony, Peter, Bessie and Betty remaining in the room.

And this new guy.

Tony didn't look up, but she saw his fists clench and his muscles flex under his oil-stained shirt.

Bessie stood up and looked round. There was a tall black man in a leather jacket leaning in the doorway sporting an eye patch.

'Nick Fury,' he said, holding his hand out. 'Director of SHIELD and the Avengers.'

Bessie shook his hand. _This must be the guy that Pepper doesn't like._

'I'd be interested in seeing just how your powers work,' Fury said.

'No.' Tony said, standing up from behind the car. 'You are not doing anything to her.' Bessie looked over at him, confused. He looked… mad, furious even.

Fury raised an eyebrow, 'it wouldn't be anything dangerous, Tony, I'm simply interested in just how far she can push her powers.'

'Yeah, because that worked out well when you tried it on Tony,' Bruce said, standing up from behind his computer console and glaring.

Bessie looked over at him, 'what happened?' she asked.

'He was in a coma for a week,' Peter said, folding his arms. 'And he was then living on caffeine and Lucozade for the next week.'

Fury smirked, 'it was no-one's fault.'

'It was your fault,' Bruce said. 'We were all telling you that you shouldn't push Arc Reactor power and when it went into critical and we told you you didn't listen.'

Bessie's eyes were drawn once more to that silver disk in Tony's chest, she met his eyes and saw him mouth the word _'later.'_

Bessie nodded and turned back to Fury, who was watching her with apparent interest.

'It was nice meeting you, Bessie,' he said, smirking, before turning away and leaving.

'I hate that guy,' Pete muttered. Bessie was shocked, she'd never heard Pete declare that he hated anyone; he just didn't seem to be that kind of guy.

She saw a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye and realised that Tony had moved in front of her to stand between her and Bruce, who had started shaking.

'Easy, big guy,' Tony said soothingly. Betty stood up and went over to him, laying a hand on his arm and speaking softly to him until he'd stopped shaking. Tony turned back to Bessie. 'Bruce has an anger management problem,' he said quietly to her.

Bessie looked over at Bruce. 'He's the Hulk?' she whispered.

Tony nodded. 'He's much better than he used to be but Fury grates on everyone's nerves.'

'What about… that thing, the park exactor,' Bessie said, waving a hand in the general vicinity of Tony's chest.

Tony raised an eyebrow. 'You mean the _Arc Reactor?' _he traced the small silver disk. 'It's a reminder,' he decided.

'What does it do?'

'Did you hear about when I was in Afghanistan?'

'And you went missing for three months?'

Tony nodded. 'A bomb went off close to where I was standing, I got pumped full of shrapnel. This baby is stopping the shrapnel from entering my heart.'

Bessie stared, impressed. 'That's… cool but slightly worrying.'

'How so?'

'Well… it's cool because… well it looks cool, and it's slightly worrying because I'm guessing that if that thing stops working…'

'… I'll go into Cardiac Arrest and die. Yeah, pretty much.'

'That would suck,' Bessie decided, pulling a face. 'So what happened last time? What Fury was talking about?'

Tony sighed. 'Fury has a way of pushing people to the limit without knowing exactly what that limit is. He wanted to know how much power the Arc could cope with except he grossly over-estimated it.'

'And sent you into a comma?!'

'Unfortunately for me, yes he did.'

'You should have seen him after he crashed from all that caffeine,' Pete called over. 'I wanted to push him into the swimming pool!'

'There's a swimming pool?'

Tony jerked his thumb over his shoulder. 'Yep, there's one out back, diving board and everything.'

At that moment, a bell chimed from one of the computer screens and Tony glanced over at it, his quirky smile quickly becoming a frown.

'That… isn't good,' he decided, stepping over to the computer and pulling up a program.

Bessie followed and watched over his shoulder.

'What is it?' she asked curiously.

Tony pointed to the screen, which displayed tunnels laid out like runs in a hamster cage. 'These tunnels go under the sea,' he said. 'We use them if we need to make a quick getaway or just can't be bothered to go all the way round. But _this _one…' (here he tapped a flashing tunnel) 'is blocked, which is confusing considering that it was fine this morning.'

'So what happened?'

Tony grabbed a set of keys with the Audi logo off of his desk. 'I don't know,' he said, 'I'll have to go check it out. You coming?'

Bessie cast a critical eye over the wrecked Audi in the corner. 'You're not taking that one are you?'

Tony chuckled. 'Are you kidding? That one wouldn't last 5 seconds! I've got another one in the garage. Coming?'

Bessie nodded and followed him through to another room.

Her jaw dropped.

This one was chockablock with expensive vehicles, cars and motorbikes. Bessie stopped and stared until she heard Tony's voice from somewhere behind her yell 'this one's mine!'

Bessie looked over at his car.

'Is that an Audi R8 V10 _Spyder???' _Bessie said gasping.

'Yep,' Tony grinned. 'I'm keeping this one away from Rhodey; he has a thing against my Audi's.'

'Cool!' Bessie ran over to the car, faster than she meant to as she skidded straight past it, turned round, flicked her hair and strode back to it, ignoring Tony's chuckle as she sat down on the soft leather seat.

'Oh wow,' she said, as Tony got in and started the engine.

'Not bad huh?' Tony said grinning. 'Bet you're glad you came here now.'

'I get to ride in an Audi R8 and I have a room complete with TV and computer. Hell _yes _am I glad I came here!'

Tony laughed and revved the engine, making Bessie giggle.

The car swerved smoothly down a ramp at the back of the garage and headed into a dark tunnel which was soon illuminated when Tony put his lights on. The tunnel was smooth metal that curved around corners.

'Are we under the sea?' Bessie asked.

Tony tapped the screen above the gear stick; it showed the car's position in relation to the number of tunnels.

'Not yet,' he said, 'about 5 minutes.'

Bessie busied herself with looking out the window, but the metal left a lot to be desired. Tony tapped a control on the screen and the music playlist flashed up. 'Take your pick, Bess,' he said.

Bessie scrolled down the list, it was an interesting selection, half of the music was rock, however there was also the occasional classical or jazz thrown in, there was even…

'_Hannah Montana?' _Bessie said, staring in shock at the screen.

'What?!' Tony seemed as shocked as she did. 'I do _not _have Hannah Montana on my playlist.'

'Your playlist says otherwise,' Bessie said, pulling a face.

'Rhodey is in so much trouble,' Tony muttered darkly.

Bessie grinned and continued scrolling down till she stopped at one she liked.

'_Once upon a time,_

_Not so long ago_

_Tommy used to work on the docks_

_Unions been on strike.'_

Tony grinned, pleased with her selection and cranked the volume up.

'_She says we've got to hold on to what we've got,_

_Cause it doesn't make a difference if we make it or not,_

_We've got each other and that's a lot_

_For love- we'll give it a shot.'_

Bessie was shocked but also rather amused to find Tony singing along.

'_Whooah, we're halfway there,_

_Livin on a prayer.'_

The car and music stopped and Tony stepped out of the car to inspect the low tunnel they'd ended up in.

Bessie followed him, the Audi's lights were still on and the low illumination lit up a rather large pile of stones blocking the tunnel from floor to ceiling.

'Hmmm,' Tony said, inspecting them.

'I'm guessing they shouldn't be there…' Bessie said.

'No,' Tony said, examining the base of the stones. 'These were put here,' he said slowly.

'Whoever did it must have been really strong!' Bessie said impressed. 'Does anyone actually use these tunnels?'

'Sometimes,' Tony said. 'I use them to escape from paparazzi occasionally. You know that saying about rats?'

Bessie thought, 'there's always one 20 feet away?'

Tony nodded, 'that's the one, well it's the same with tunnels.'

Bessie turned her attention back to the pile of stones. 'Whoever moved them must have been very strong!' she said again.

Tony nodded thoughtfully. _'Very _strong, I can't move this on my own, it may need blowing up.'

'As long as I'm there to watch,' Bessie said, grinning.

Tony led the way back to the car and scrolled through the playlist again as he drove the car back to the garage.

Bessie yawned the second she spotted the clock, it had just gone 2am and she realised with a jolt that she really hadn't planned on staying this long. Tony eventually selected a song by Black Sabbath but quickly turned it off when he realised that the car's other occupant was asleep.

He drove back to the garage in silence, silently contemplating the new addition to the Avenger's family.

_In and out of foster homes all her life, my God I'm amazed she's turned out so well._

Tony snuck a glance at her and noticed for the first time a small round scar at the base of the girl's neck, he wondered dimly what it was and how she'd got it as he sent the car into reverse and manoeuvred his way back into the garage.

Tony turned the engine off and stepped out of the car, quietly closing the door and stepping round to the passenger's side to wake up Bessie.

But he couldn't.

Tony sighed and gently lifted her out of the car and into his arms; he nudged the car door shut with his elbow and carried Bessie up the back stairs that led to the bedrooms. She was surprisingly light, and Tony could feel the ridges of her spine quite clearly through the sweater she was wearing.

_Mental note no. 2343- make sure Bessie eats more._

Pepper had stuck a note to the door which read 'Elizabeth Sprint.' Tony silently praised his PA's effectiveness and opened the door with his knee, stepping inside and laying Bessie down on the bed. He took the blanket off the back of the sofa and draped it over her, tucking it in tight around her body and stepping outside of the room, gently closing the door.

Pepper was sat on the sofa when he stepped back into the main room, heels on the floor beside her, laptop on her lap.

'I'm guessing you're pulling another all nighter then,' Tony said, examining the contents of the coffee pot and deciding there was only just enough.

'Yep,' Pepper said, typing away at the keyboard.

Tony took the two coffees and handed one of them to her, sitting next to her on the couch.

'Did Bessie enjoy the ride?' Pepper asked, not looking up.

Tony chuckled. 'Yep, she fell asleep on me on the way back though.'

Pepper put the laptop down and took a sip of coffee. 'Did you notice that mark on the back of her neck?'

Tony nodded. 'What do you think it is?'

Pepper shrugged. 'Looks to me like she's been hit by something really hard. Hard enough to leave a mark anyway.'

'Hmmm,' Tony said.

Pepper took a deep breath, when Tony Stark 'hmmm's' it's never good. 'Do I want to know?' she asked cautiously.

'I'm just remembering her father's file,' Tony said quietly.

Pepper stiffened, she vaguely remembered Tony telling her that Bessie's father was violent. 'You think her _father _did that to her?'

Tony sighed, 'the only way to find out is to ask her and I'm not too keen on doing that. But her father was abusive and a drunk, which was part of the reason why she ran away, so it would make sense if that ishow she got the mark.'

Pepper frowned, 'I don't see how being drunk has anything to do with it, I mean if he was abusive anyway…'

'That mark was bottle shaped,' Tony said quietly.

Pepper stared at him, open-mouthed. 'I thought you just said you didn't know what shape it was?'

'Then I saw that.' Tony nodded over to an abandoned beer bottle on left on Bruce's computer desk.

Pepper shivered involuntarily and turned her attention back to her laptop. 'How old did you say she was when she ran away?'

Tony shrugged. 'I don't know, but she dropped off the radar when she was 8, so probably around then.'

'Poor girl,' Pepper said. 'When I was 8 I had an obsession with pineapples.'

'When _I _was 8 I built a car from scratch,' Tony mused. 'But the pineapple thing is okay too,' he added quickly when he spotted the dark look Pepper had just thrown him.


	4. Which Involves Cheerios

_Thanks for everyone's reviews! They're much appreciated :) enjoy! _

_This chapter is dedicated to XxThe Penny TreasurerxX because she showed me those AWESOME Iron Man 2 clips!!!! :D_

* * *

'_Are you still up?'_

'_No, daddy.'_

_Wilson Delaney stepped into his daughter's room, where 4 year old Molly was hiding under her duvet._

'_I thought I told you to go to bed,' he said quietly, dangerously._

'_I have, daddy,' Molly said, shaking under her thin cotton nightgown._

_Wilson raised his hand…_

… and the 17 year old Molly Delaney sat bolt upright, shaking her head to clear the fuzz.

The clock on the wall opposite read 07:16am and Bessie took a moment to remember where she was and how she'd got there. A massive feeling of well-being flowed through her when she remembered that the room she was in was her's and she'd spent the evening talking to Tony Stark and going for a ride in the Audi R8.

But that didn't explain how she'd gotten to her room…

Bessie swung her legs over the side, surprised when the warm soft blanket fell off her. She groaned as she realised that Tony must have carried her up and she stood up, stretching her arms.

She still had an hour to clean up and get to MIT and Bessie hit the bathroom like a girl on a mission. The water was hot and cascaded down her back, it was nice to finally be able to wash her hair with decent shampoo and she came out feeling cleaner then she ever had in her life.

Bessie pulled her new clothes back on and made her way back down to the central room, where there was a strong smell of coffee in the air.

Tony had passed out on the sofa and Pepper was waving a cup of coffee under his nose when she walked in, Pete was trying not to laugh when Tony sniffed at random intervals as the coffee came closer to his nose. Bruce was eating toast and Sue Storm had a box of 'Special K' cereal out in front of her.

'Morning Bess,' Bruce said, nodding at her. 'Hungry?'

'Yeah,' Bessie said grinning.

'We have pretty much every kind of cereal ever invented so name your poison.'

'Do you have… Cheerio's?'

Bruce grinned, 'indeed we do, but Tony will fight you for them.' Bruce stood up and turned to the cupboard, pulling out the cereal box, bowl and spoon and sending them over to her.

Tony batted away Pepper's hand over on the sofa and rolled onto his side. Pepper sighed, put the coffee down… and went for his ribs.

Tony yelped and rolled off the sofa onto the floor with a rather impressive thump. 'Oww…' he moaned, sitting up and rubbing his sore head. He glared at Pepper. 'Do you enjoy waking me up?'

Pepper smirked and handed him his coffee. 'Perk of the job, now get up, drink the coffee and get dressed, you have a meeting in an hour.'

Tony stood up, drained the coffee and stalked off mumbling something about 'red-heads' that Bessie didn't catch.

Pepper grinned and walked over to the toaster; Bessie hid her face in her hair to hide her smirk and finished off her Cheerio's. She stood up and stretched her leg muscles, taking a black hairband from her wrist and wrapping it around her hair.

'I better scoot off or I'll be late,' she said, reluctantly.

'Cool, will you be coming back this evening?' Pete asked hopefully. 'It's Tony's turn to get pizza, and 'cause he's rich he always gets the good stuff.'

Bessie grinned. 'Well… if there's pizza involved.'

'See you this evening then,' Pepper said smiling.

Bessie made her way out of the central room and into the white reception. She pulled her rather battered MP3 player out of the pocket of her jeans and set off towards her flat.

The MP3 player lasted 2 minutes and Bessie sighed as she slowed to a halt and put it back in her pocket. She'd bought it off a fellow student at MIT who had, in his defence, warned her that it was 'crap', but it had also only been two dollars and Bessie knew that he was bound to have some AC/DC on it somewhere, she hadn't been disappointed either.

Bessie made the trip back to her flat in silence, half of her wondering if there was any point in taking the player apart for the 10th time and trying to repair it.

Once inside, the landlord gave her an odd look.

'You're late back today,' he said, suspiciously.

'Yeah, I stayed the night with some friends,' Bessie said, calmly unlocking the door and hiding her grin.

The landlord stepped back into his room suspiciously as Bessie unlocked the door and stepped inside. She quickly grabbed her school books and stuffed them into her bag. She then pulled the bag of clothes Tony Stark had given her out from the bottom of her wardrobe and changed into another pair of skinny jeans and a black shirt, pulling her new converses back on and grabbing a soft purple jumper.

'Sweet,' she said grinning. She turned and looked at herself in the mirror. It felt and _looked _nice to be wearing clothes that actually fitted her and weren't full of holes and her hair felt smooth and soft on her head.

Bessie turned and relocked the door, flicking her hair for emphasis as she hoisted her bag onto her back and headed for the door.

Tony Stark stepped back into the main room, having speed-showered, gelled his hair, and stepped into one of his (many) suits.

Pepper was sat on the sofa, _Los Angeles Times _in front of her, making notes on her BlackBerry.

'I had a thought,' Tony said, seizing the abandoned box of Cheerios.

'Dangerous…' Pepper murmured, not looking up from her BlackBerry.

At that moment, a small girl wearing a red and white checked school dress ran in, desperately trying to pull a hairbrush from her thick dark hair while also trying to balance her schoolbag.

'What's up Georgie?' Tony asked the 5 year old, who was perilously close to tears.

'I can't get this hairbrush out of my hair!' she cried, tugging it to no avail.

Tony sat down on the sofa and put his bowl of Cheerios to one side, patting his lap for the little girl to climb up onto. 'What do we keep telling you?' he asked as he began to untangle the girl's hair.

'That I should use a bigger hairbrush,' the girl said, pulling a face. 'But I like this one! It has Barbie on it!'

Tony smiled as he eased the brush from her hair and set about plaiting it. 'Better?' he asked when he finished.

The girl patted her hair and gave him a huge grin, sliding off his lap. 'Much better,' she said, admiring her hair in the reflection in the glass window.

'You need a lift?' Tony asked, picking up his bowl of Cheerios and then pulling a face when he realised they'd gone soggy.

'Yes please,' Georgina Meadows said, picking up her schoolbag and pulling it on.

'Don't take the Audi,' Pepper warned, 'you'll cause a riot.'

'At a playground?' Pepper gave him a look. 'Spoilsport,' Tony said scowling. 'Fine, Fiat it is. Come on Georgie hop to it, I'll meet you back here in 20 minutes, Peps.'

'Make sure you do!' Pepper called after him as he inspected the large line of keys hanging on the wall and eventually, disgustedly, selected the Fiat's key. 'Don't go home to work on the suit or take JARVIS or Dummy apart.'

'I got all dressed up didn't I?' Tony said indignantly. 'I'll be there Peps.'

Pepper's eyes followed him out of the door.

The Fiat Panda 1.2 was a car that Tony detested using. His eyes drew lovingly across the garage towards his Audi R8 in the corner and then back to the red scrapheap that _apparently _used to be a Fiat. The Fiat was only used when the Avengers wanted to be discreet, although in fairness- no car driven by Tony Stark was _ever _discreet. Fortunately for the rest of the motorway however, the Fiat didn't get above 40 mph on a _good _day.

Tony opened the door for Georgie who hoped in and plugged her seat belt in while Tony made his way (slowly) to the driver's door.

Sitting in the car and plugging his seatbelt in Tony turned to Georgia and pulled a face. 'Ready, kiddo?'

Georgie gripped the edge of her seat and nodded; a determined expression on her face. Tony took a deep breath and put the key into the ignition. He turned back to Georgie. 'Time for a little prayer,' he said and turned the key.

The engine spluttered to life with a slowness and consistency of jelly but it was alive none the less and since this was such an amazing thing to happen both occupants of the 'Glorified Scrapheap,' as the poor car was known, cheered and veered out of the garage, heading towards Bellevue Primary School.

The playground was full of children and parents when Tony and Georgie arrived. 'Ready, Hun?' Tony asked. Georgie nodded and unplugged her seatbelt, a sad look on her face. 'Hey,' Tony said, catching her chin gently and making her look up at him, 'what's the matter kiddo?'

Georgie looked at all the beaming parents, so proud of their children and then back at Tony, who was gazing at her anxiously. 'They all have parents who are proud of them,' she said sadly. 'I don't have parents at all, which means that my parents don't love me and aren't proud of me.'

'No,' Tony said firmly. 'Honey you can't think that, I'm sure there's a very good reason why…'

He was about to say 'why your parents abandoned you,' but Pepper had been teaching him about tact and he realised that actually that wasn't a very tactful thing to say.

'Listen, Georgia,' Tony said, stroking her hair. 'It doesn't matter if the others have parents that are proud of them, _I'm _proud of you, and I know the others are too, and if you were my daughter, I would be the happiest dad in the world.'

Georgia's face lit up, 'really?' she asked, beaming.

'Of course,' Tony said, smiling. 'You're an amazing girl and I know that everyone can see that, now off you go, I'll pick you and Sam up after school and we'll go for ice creams on the beach, how does that sound?'

Georgia jumped off the seat in excitement and hugged Tony excitedly. Tony laughed and kissed her on the forehead. 'I'll see you later Georgie,' he said, as the girl grabbed her bag and jumped out the car.


	5. Georgia

_Lots of people wanted to know who Georgie is..._

This _is who Georgie is :) _

_Please review!_

_And OMG Iron Man 2!!! :D :D If you haven't seen it, SEE IT, if you HAVE seen it, SEE IT AGAIN!!!!_

_5 months previously..._

'Be careful,' Jason Meadows said. 'One wrong move could set the alarm off.' Hardly daring to breathe, 5 year old Georgia held her breath while she placed her hand over the lock. It hummed and burst.

'Nicely done,' Jason said, grinning. 'Now, you see those bushes over there?' He pointed to the bushes at the front of the house, Georgia nodded. 'I want you to hide there and not move until I come and get you, understand? Do. Not. Move.'

Georgia nodded and crept along the drive while her 18 year old brother holstered his backpack onto his back and gingerly opened the door.

Jason had discovered Georgia's gift when he spotted her opening the lock on her mother's bedside cabinet in order to take out her Barbie doll which her mother had confiscated when she'd been playing with it at the dinner table.

In all fairness to Jason, he hadn't told anyone about what Georgie could do, he was very protective of his little sister, even more so when their father had died when Georgie was two. On his deathbed, Ernest Meadows had made Jason swear to protect Georgia with his life, because she was so special. At the time, Jason had though that he meant special as it 'special little girl' not special as in _special _special. And he'd done what his father had asked; he'd protected his little sister, none the wiser, until the Barbie incident.

Then his mother had died.

Jason blinked away the hot tears that threatened to crawl down his cheeks as he moved silently around the quiet house. He checked his watch, 03:07, _hurry it up Jase.'_

His mother had been out driving one night when a lorry had ploughed into her car. It was quick, the doctors had said, she wouldn't have felt a thing, but still Jason felt the loss burn his heart.

_His mother._

And suddenly he found that he had to protect his little sister more than he ever had before. Which was hard because…

Because she'd ended up in foster care.

Their home had been reposed and sold on, still with their furniture and belongings inside.

Too many of their belongings, which was why Jason was now crawling around in the quiet house, backpack over his shoulder, trying not the wake up the new inhabitant while he searched for their most important possessions. His mother's jewellery box, his father's medals, being a firefighter really did pay off. He'd 'borrowed' his sister, sneaking her out of the foster home so she could bust the lock for him, since all the locks had been changed.

Jason had reached the master bedroom, he could hear snoring coming from inside.

_Oh so quietly _he pushed the door open and stepped inside. The new occupant was asleep, Jason didn't know who she was, he didn't want to know. He crept across the carpeted floor, being careful to avoid the squeaky floorboards and made it to his mother's cupboard.

He stuck a specially-prepared bent clip into it and pinged the lock, quietly opening the cupboard. Inside, in a box at the back, were his mother's jewellery and his father's medals. Jason pulled them out and put them into his backpack, closing the cupboard and creeping back down the stairs.

He didn't realise she had a dog.

The collie jumped up and barked, REALLY loudly. Jason cursed himself. _You didn't check for a dog??? Your baby sister is outside and you didn't check for a dog?!_

He heard the lady's bedroom door slam open and he ran, sprinting down the stairs, precious bag in his arms and out the door.

'Run Georgia!' he yelled.

Georgia came out from behind the bushes and started to sprint down the street; Jason pulled the back onto his back and scooped up his sister. They made it 3 blocks down the road before they ran into the police.

Jason was put in a young offender's institute for breaking and entering. His sentence was 20 years, but only because the occupant of the house had been a judge.

And Georgia went back into foster care, prevented from seeing her brother.

She was 5 years old, her parents were dead, her house had gone, she couldn't see her brother, and the other girls in the home pulled her hair and drew on her things.

So she ran.

She wasn't sure on where she was going to go. She was, after all, only 5. She packed up her bag, filling it with her clothes and dolls, broke the window lock and climbed down the drainpipe.

She walked for so long, her shoes ached on her feet and she was cold and shivery. She broke into house after house. Sleeping on stranger's couches at night and taking their food.

After 3 weeks, she trailed down the road of yet another street. It was a high street, and was filled with bars and booze, cars and taxis lining the roadside, drunken men and women coming out and swinging and laughing on each other's arms. Hot, flashing lights that lit up the street and heavy pounding music that leaked out from behind doors.

And she'd seen the car.

It was a nice car, white and shiny, with the engine at the back and boot at the front.

And she'd been so tired. Unable to walk another few feet, Georgia broke the lock on the boot at the front of the car and clambered in, closing it behind her. It was warm and cosy, and although it was dark Georgia felt happy. She found a blanket abandoned in the corner and pulled it over herself, curling up into a ball and falling asleep.

Tony Stark pulled the Audi R8 V10 Spyder into the garage and yawned. He'd already dropped Pepper off at her apartment and was feeling VERY tired. Partying with the Avenger's was hard work, even harder when HE was the designated driver for a change.

Tony pulled the Audi's keys out of the ignition and stepped out of the car, yawning and stretching his arms.

'Honey I'm home!' he called out to the ever observant AI.

No response.

'JARVIS?' Tony said, confused.

'_Mr Stark, you are aware that there is a sleeping female in the boot of your car?'_

Tony froze.

'There's a… what?'

'_A young girl, approximately around 5 years of age, asleep in your boot.'_

Tony turned back to the Audi and unlocked the boot, opening it to discover a VERY thin and tired girl curled in a ball in the ratty blanket that Pepper had put there in case she ever had to pick him up from somewhere and he had *somehow* lost his jacket. Contrary to popular belief, Tony did have a heart, a very large one too, and although others would say otherwise, he had always had a soft spot for children. 'Who is she JARVIS?' he said quietly, dropping his voice so he wouldn't wake the young girl up.

'_I am unsure,' _the AI responded. _'But she is suffering from severe exhaustion and malnutrition.'_

Tony gently lifted the girl, blanket and all, out of the boot and into his arms, she still didn't wake up.

'See if you can figure it out,' he whispered. 'I'm going to get her tucked in.'

Tony gently elbowed the door of one of his guest rooms and took the little girl inside; he peeled off her shoes and tucked her in under the warm comforter. 'Sweet dreams,' he whispered, and made his way back downstairs.

'Any luck?' he asked JARVIS. The AI responded almost immediately.

'_Her name is Georgia Meadows, she is in foster care, and she has an elder brother Jason Meadows who was put in a young offender's institute a few weeks ago. Her mother and father are both dead and she is in foster care.'_

Tony mulled this over.

'That doesn't explain how she got into the car; I swear I locked the boot…'

'_She was reported as being missing from the foster home 3 weeks ago however no report has been filed and no investigation carried out.'_

'Which foster home?'

'_Summerhill Fields.'_

Tony sighed. He knew Summerhill, that was were half of the kids at boot camp had come from, they ran away because they hated it there and were teased by the other kids for being 'different' when really most of the other kids would die to have to powers they possessed. They would then wind up on the streets and promptly be forgotten about until SHIELD tracked them down and offered them somewhere to stay.

'What happened to her brother?' Tony asked, sitting down in his chair and fiddling with his Rubex cube, a birthday present from Pepper.

'_He was arrested after being stopped by police from breaking into his home a few weeks ago, 2 days before Georgia went missing.'_

'Wait a sec… he was breaking into his _home _and he was arrested.'

'_The house had been repossessed by a judge _(Tony winced) _who was alerted to the intrusion by her dog.'_

Tony put the completed Rubex cube back onto his desk. 'Which offender's institute?'

'_The records have been blocked.'_

'Try and get into them, let me know the second you have.'

'_Certainly sir, now in the words of Miss Potts- Get your ass up those stairs and into bed before I throw you there.'_

Tony raised his eyebrows. 'Kinky.'

'_Your scans indicate that you are suffering from fatigue.'_

'JARVIS, I never knew you cared.'

'_Mr Stark…'_

'Alright alright I'm going.'

Georgia woke up and didn't know where she was. She was warm, and there was a thick blanket over her. She sat bolt upright, shivering and shaking uncontrollably. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was crawling into a car and falling asleep.

'_Miss Meadows, please. Do not be afraid, you are perfectly safe.'_

Georgia sprang out of bed and ran to the balcony, voices in the ceiling? Was she in hospital? Some kind of scientific experiment? Had someone found out about her powers?

She pounded on the balcony door, frustrated when it didn't open. She laid her hand flat on the door and it buzzed and opened. She sprinted through and raced onto the balcony.

And froze.

Warm wind blew her hair and warmed her skin. Warm sunshine beamed down on her, blue sky reflected in the blue ocean.

Where was she?

'Hey,' she heard a voice behind her say.

Georgie turned round and backed up against the railing. There was a man stood there, spiky dark hair and brown eyes, coupled with the strangest beard she had ever seen. He _looked _like a mad scientist, just… a nice mad scientist. He also looked vaguely familiar and was looking at her anxiously. 'If you want to leave then over the railing isn't a good way to do it,' the man said. Georgia peered over the side, at the swirling waters of the Pacific Ocean below her, then back to the man, who held his hand out to her, 'Tony Stark,' he said.

Georgia stared at him. She knew who Tony Stark was, she'd seen his name in the papers, her brother aspired to him.

_Her brother._

Georgia started to cry, for her brother, for herself. Tony Stark withdrew his hand and got down on his knees, opening his arms. The little girl ran into them crying.

Tony was shocked. He didn't realise telling her his name would have this effect on her. But luckily he knew what to do. Many of the children at boot camp had bad dreams and would wake up screaming, Tony knew from his own experiences following the death of his parents that sometimes all children needed was a hug.

'Come on,' Tony said softly. 'Let's get you some pancakes.'

Georgie cheered up considerably.

Pepper stepped over the pile of screwdrivers and screws left lying in the corner of Tony's garage and climbed the stairs.

_Pancakes?_

Pepper reached the living room and spotted Tony arguing with JARVIS.

'Yes! I'm certain I locked it! Review the security tapes if you don't believe me!'

'_Did you unlock it when you went out sir?'_

'Nope. I never use the boot anyway!'

'Um… morning?' Pepper said.

Tony spun round and flashed her a quick Tony Stark Smirk©. Pepper observed him carefully and moaned.

'NOW what have you done?' she asked, crossing her arms and tapping her foot.

Tony was staring at her foot. 'Do girls _actually _do that?'

Pepper stopped tapping and glared at him. 'Answer the question, Tony,' she said sternly.

'Well...' Tony scratched his head and considered how he should answer Pepper's question. 'There's a girl in the kitchen.'

Pepper stared at him shocked. 'Really?' she said quietly, hurt. 'I thought...'

Tony looked at her blankly. 'Thought what?' he said.

'I thought you were past that,' Pepper said quietly.

Genuinely confused, Tony screwed his nose up, 'past _what?'_

'Past bringing girls home!' Pepper yelled.

Tony smiled at her and took her hand, not letting Pepper pull away when she tried to.

'Pepperpot,' he said quietly. 'This particular girl is 5.'

Pepper stared at him, shocked.

Tony moaned and shook his head. 'No no no that came out wrong. Listen, she's not... I didn't.... look, I found her in the boot of my car. I don't know what she was doing in there, but she _was _there.'

Pepper smiled, relieved. 'Okay,' she said. 'So, who is she?'

'Her name is Georgia Meadows, she's 5 years old and she was reported missing from Summerhill Fields three weeks ago, no-one's tried to find her though.'

'So she's been wandering around for 3 weeks by herself?'

Tony shrugged, 'it looks like it,' he'd also realised that Pepper hadn't asked for her hand back.

'So what were you and JARVIS arguing about?' Pepper asked.

'How she got _into _the boot in the first place.'

'I unlocked it,' came a quiet voice from behind them.

Pepper turned round to face Georgia. 'Hi,' she said to the little girl, waving.

Tony was looking at her confused. 'You _unlocked _it?'

Georgia nodded, then turned her head away like she'd said too much.

'This is Pepper, by the way,' Tony said, indicating the red-head with a wave of his hand, then realising that he was still holding onto Pepper's hand and having to let go reluctantly. 'She's my Girl Friday.'

Georgia looked confused. 'What's a "Girl Friday"?' she asked.

'Someone who runs my life,' Tony said. 'Pepper here is my PA.'

'PA?'

'Poor Aide,' Pepper mumbled to herself.

'_Personal Assistant,' _Tony said, nudging Pepper in the ribs and making her giggle. 'You are so much more than my aide, Pepperpot.'

Pepper pulled a face at him and went into the kitchen to attack the coffee machine.

'So,' Tony said, bending down and looking at Georgia. 'How did you unlock the door?'

Georgie shook her head. 'I mustn't tell you, I mustn't tell anyone, I can't.'

'Yes you can,' Tony said softly. 'I can keep a secret.'

Georgie looked around and walked over to the door, Tony following and watching, intrigued. Georgie laid her hand over the wood and concentrated.

The door swung open, as did Tony's jaw.

'So that's how you did it,' he said, shocked.

Georgie nodded and Tony smiled. 'You need somewhere to stay?' Georgie nodded again. 'I know just the place.'


	6. Freaks United

_Here's chapter 7! Sorry I haven't updated for an age! And another chapter to 'Pepper For Your Thoughts' will hopefully be up by this evening! I need to get food first though; I've eaten nothing and am therefore running on empty. Feeling a bit dizzy o.O_

_And I got really crap results in my AS levels :( Feeling a bit sorry for myself. If there was an exam in fanfic writing I'd have been okay!_

Tony could feel himself falling asleep and he remembered that there _was _a reason why his staff called the head of marketing 'Drone Boy.' The man could speak for England, and the rest of Europe and _especially _America.

Tony tried not to slump down in his seat; around him he could see the rest of the senior staff doing the same. A quick _bssssssssstttz _in his pocket made him and the person next to him start. Tony pulled the phone out from his pocket and quickly checked the ID, then drew his attention to Pepper who was sat in the corner, laptop on her lap making notes and scowling at him. Tony looked down at the text. _'Don't you _dare _fall asleep or I swear I'll convince Dummy to foam you.'_

Tony snorted and quickly turned it into a cough when Drone Boy looked over at him. _'Trust me on this, he wouldn't take much persuading.'_

Tony saw Pepper try to hide a smirk when she read this.

Five minutes later, his phone beeped again, seeing it was Fury, Tony ignored it.

It kept beeping.

After he'd had enough of it beeping for an hour, Tony stood up. 'Excuse me one moment,' he said, crossing over to the window. He flung it open, flung his phone through it, closed it and sat back down again.

'Sorry about that,' he said apologetically, Pepper glaring at him from the other side of the room, his staff smirking behind their hands.

Julie Richards knocked politely on the door and stepped in. 'Sorry to disturb you,' she said. 'But I have Nick Fury on the phone; he's refusing to get off the line until you answer your phone.'

'That MAY be a bit difficult,' Tony said slowly, causing more sniggers from his staff.

'He said something about Bruce Banner,' Julie said doubtfully.

Tony's face hardened and he got up to answer the phone in his office.

'Stark.'

'_Tony! You're in a lot of trouble.'_

'Because I didn't answer my phone? I was in a meeting.'

'_I need you in South Carolina.'_

'That isn't going to happen; I can guarantee you that now.'

'_Bruce Banner has gone wacko; we can't get Betty to calm him down. I need you to get over there and distract him so SHIELD can get a dart in him.'_

'Charming,' Tony said.

'_He's holding a young woman hostage; we don't know why since that kind of thing isn't his style. So, are you in?'_

'If he's holding a young woman I have to be, rescuing ladies is what I do.'

'_Make it snappy, we can't hold out for much longer.'_

'Got it.'

Tony hung up and glanced apologetically at Julie. 'I'll get Miss Potts,' she said.

* * *

Bessie swung her schoolbag up onto the wall and then hoisted herself over it.

Aaron Renn was already sat there eating his sandwich but he grinned when he saw Bessie. Aaron was quite tall; he had spiky brown hair and green eyes and, like Bessie, had also managed to win scholarships in order to keep his place. Also like Bessie, whenever she asked him about his parents, or where he lived, he suddenly and spontaneously changed the subject immediately.

'Hey sweet,' he said. 'Having a good day?'

Bessie shrugged, 'average.' She told Aaron most things but she couldn't tell him about her powers, and she _definitely _couldn't tell him about Tony Stark, not because she didn't trust him, he was the one person she trusted more than anyone else in the world, but because she wasn't sure how to tell him.

'Penny for them?' Aaron asked, looking at her oddly. Bessie looked up at him confused. 'For you thoughts, I mean,' he clarified, 'you look like you're having a deep internal discussion.'

'Oh,' Bessie said. 'I'm…'

She looked around her at the other students sat on the MIT lawn and dropped her voice. 'This is going to sound crazy, but I have to tell someone.'

Aaron leaned in. 'Okay,' he said. 'Hit me.'

Bessie swallowed. 'You know the Fantastic Four? How they have powers?'

Aaron nodded, unsure as to where this was going.

Bessie took a deep breath. 'I have powers too, more specifically, _one _power.'

There were so many emotions on Aaron's face that Bessie wasn't sure which one to go with. There was confused, bewilderment and… understanding?

'Really?' Aaron asked, he didn't sound like he thought she was taking the piss, he just sounded like he had to be sure she was telling the truth.

'Yes,' Bessie said. 'I don't know how, I just know that I can.'

'Show me!' Aaron said, his eyes wide.

Bessie looked around. 'I can't, not here,' she said. 'Are you busy this evening?'

Aaron shook his head, still looking at her like he _wanted _to believe her.

'Then come down with me to the beach this evening,' Bessie pleaded. 'And I'll show you.'

Aaron grinned. 'It's a date,' he said.

Bessie whacked him with her textbook.

* * *

Tony flew over to South Carolina as fast as possible. He always enjoyed missions in the States, it meant he could get back to Pepper faster. Not… that there was anything BETWEEN him and Pepper. Well, nothing that Pepper would admit to anyway.

Bruce was stood on the roof of the parking lot, a young lady with black hair clasped tightly in one hand, surrounded by police who were trying to sedate him without shooting his hostage. Tony spotted Betty stood looking up at him and landed next to her, flicking up his helmet.

'What's going on?' he asked.

'We don't know,' Betty looked over at the Hulk. 'He's never done this before.'

'We need to get that woman out of his hand before he crushes her,' Tony said. 'What's her name?'

'Alicia Laurens.'

Tony activated his jet boots but kept his helmet up, doing a lap around the roof and appearing behind the Hulk so he didn't see him, instead continuing to bellow at the police.

'Miss Laurens,' Tony whispered. Alicia squirmed in the Hulk's grasp and tipped her head back so she could see him.

'Trust me,' Tony said, meeting her eyes.

Alicia nodded and Tony swerved round to land in front of the Hulk. Taken by surprise, the Hulk dropped Alicia… over the side of the building. Now the police had a clear shot they pumped the Hulk full of tranquillizers but Tony was too busy zooming down the side of the building to rescue Alicia, who surprisingly wasn't screaming. Tony grabbed her and she wrapped her arms around his armoured waist tightly while Tony slowly carried her down to the ground. 'No screaming?' he asked, looking at her with his eyebrows raised. Alicia shrugged, or tried to with her arms currently holding on for dear life. 'You told me to trust you, I do trust you.'

Tony grinned and set her carefully down on the ground away from the press and reporters, catching her again when she hissed as he let go. 'You okay?' he asked. Alicia clutched at her side. 'I think the Hulk broke some ribs.'

'Oh,' Tony held out his arms. 'Here, let me…'

'No, no… it's okay, I got it.' Alicia lifted up the bottom of her blouse and Tony watched as the dark black bruises that had formed on her skin faded and disappeared. He stared at her. 'Whoa,' he said. 'That's something.' Alicia smiled and pulled a card out of her trouser pocket. 'If you need me, call me,' she said, tucking the card away into the small edge around Tony's helmet, then she turned and walked away.

Tony gaped after her until Betty joined him. 'Bruce is back, she said quietly. 'He's being flown to the hospital in California.'

Tony turned to watch the sea of press swarming towards them. 'I can't deal with this right now,' Betty said, a tear in her eye.

Tony gently lifted her up and carried her away.

Pepper was waiting for him when he got back to base, tired out. She handed him a glass of water when he got out of the suit and gave him a quick hug for his efforts. 'Hard?' she asked.

Tony's eyebrows shot up and Pepper nudged him with her elbow. 'Don't be so gross Tony you know what I meant.'

'Pepper, don't do that, I actually freaked out for a second there!' Tony said, laughing. 'And no, the mission wasn't hard.'

'Bed,' Pepper said, steering him towards his room.

'You're not helping yourself here, Pepper!' Tony called as he stepped inside the doorway. Pepper expected him to be smirking at her but instead there was a soft smile on his face. 'Goodnight, Tony,' she said softly.

'Night, Peps,' he responded, hugging her tightly suddenly and gently closing the door.

* * *

Bessie bought herself an ice cream while she was waiting for Aaron on the beach and ate it slowly, thoughtfully. Aaron was her dearest friend, she trusted him with anything, he _deserved _to know about this. Bessie flicked her hair back so it caught the breeze and contemplated how she'd met him. She'd been a burglar for the past few years, _not _something she was proud of, but she did what she had to in order to survive. She never stole from old ladies or poor people; it was always the rich, which often made getting into their houses rather difficult due to the amount of alarms. But she'd had practise with lock picks, and always staked out the house first to make sure that there was no-one home. She'd often, like Georgia, slept on their couches and eaten their food, taking showers in their bathrooms and taking a few clothes she didn't think they'd miss.

_It was 2005, she was 12 years old and currently raiding the fridge of a Mr J. K. Clark, who had gone to the Bahamas for a week with his wife, and wasn't expected back for another few days. Bessie fumbled with the butter and bread for a few moments, eventually succeeded in making herself a cheese sandwich as quietly as possible, although Mr J. K. Clark was gone, his neighbours weren't. She was about to open the living room door when she heard a creak on the stairs._

_She froze._

_This wasn't possible… he'd gone; she knew that, she'd followed him to the airport to make sure. She'd been staying in the house for 3 days already and _no-one _was home. So what was that sound?_

_Bessie melted into the shadows, and watched, silently, as a dark shape holding a torch made their way slowly down the stairs. The torch lit up its owner's face briefly, and Bessie saw that it was a tall, spiky haired nervous looking boy with a huge rucksack over his arm. _

Not the owner… _Bessie realised when she spotted the lock-picking set at his belt. _Another burglar… around my age…

_Bessie stepped out in front of him and the boy jumped back a mile. 'I… I was just…' he stammered._

'_You were just burglaring the house,' Bessie replied. 'Like me.'_

_The boy stared at her, at the pretty girl with the short reddy-brown hair, pale skin, and green eyes that had been lit up in the light from the torch._

'_Oh,' he said, dropping the torch slightly so he wasn't dazzling her so much. 'That's okay then.'_

'_Bessie Sprint,' Bessie said, holding her hand out._

'_Aaron Renn,' Aaron replied, shaking it. 'Do you come here often?'_

_Bessie smiled. 'Only when I have to.'_

_Aaron rolled his eyes. 'Trust me, I know what you mean.'_

'_How did you get in?' Bessie asked. 'I didn't hear the door or window squeak.'_

_Aaron shuffled his feet and looked uncomfortable. 'I… uh… well… I came in through the upstairs window.'_

_Bessie looked at him in bewilderment. 'You couldn't have done. It's two stories up and there's nothing to hold onto.'_

_Aaron grinned uncertainly. 'I found a way,' he said._

_Bessie raised her eyebrows but didn't press the subject._

That had been the start of an unlikely friendship, but a friendship that Bessie was, none the less, glad to have. Aaron was everything to her, everything she had left. NOT that they were going out or anything, although they did spend MOST of their time together. Bessie smiled as she remembered last Christmas. They'd got a turkey and some crackers and cooked a mini Christmas dinner in Bessie's tiny flat. Decorating the flat with all the tinsel they could find. They'd found a Christmas tree that someone had abandoned in an alley 3 days before and had decorated it with broken baubles that they'd found in various bins across the city, opening their presents under it in the evening. Aaron had got Bessie a necklace with a 'B' charm on it, and Bessie had got Aaron a watch she'd found in a charity shop, it was a pretty cool watch though.

Waiting on the beach, Bessie fingered the charm around her neck and tipped her head back; enjoying the way the cool wind blew her hair to one side.

'Hey sweet,' came a familiar voice and Bessie smiled as Aaron sat next to her. He nodded at her necklace, 'nice necklace.' Bessie laughed and hugged him.

'So,' Aaron said, not wasting any time. 'What was it you wanted to show me?'

Bessie swallowed. 'Couldn't we talk about something else first? How was school?'

Aaron laughed. 'Oh don't get me started!'

'Oh?' Bessie encouraged.

'Well… you know Peters in the year above us? He let a firework loose in the lecture hall. MASSIVE explosion, gunpowder EVERYWHERE. Dr Edwards couldn't work out who had set it off and of course WE wouldn't tell him because… well, you know how massive Peters is. Total chaos for 30 minutes, brilliant.'

Bessie laughed. 'That sounds like fun,' she said. 'I did nothing of any interest.'

'Oh?' Aaron nudged her with his elbow. 'Not found any new gene pairs yet then?'

Bessie grinned. 'Not yet, working on it though. Watch this space.'

Aaron grinned. 'So,' he said. 'What's this cool power you've got then? Spill!'

Bessie took a deep breath.

'I can run fast.'

Aaron burst out laughing. 'Of course you can run fast! You've been a burglar most of your life! Running away is what you do best.'

Bessie elbowed him in the ribs. 'Just announce it to the whole beach why don't you! And for your information, I can run _really _fast, like _really really _fast. Supersonic, even.'

Aaron boggled at her. 'You can run… supersonic…?' Again there was that look on his face, that understanding look and a look like he wanted to burst out a secret to her.

Bessie stood up and brushed sand off her jeans. 'I'll prove it,' she said. 'What would you like me to fetch from another state?'

Aaron stood up and pondered this. 'Okay… I would like you to fetch…' his eyes lit up. 'I would like you to fetch a leaf from one of the palm trees in California.'

'Are you kidding? I can't jump up that high! It will have to be one off the ground.'

'That'll do,' Aaron said.

'Fine.' Bessie crouched down into a sprinter's start and looked up at her friend. 'Watch this space,' she said; and ran.

Aaron's mouth hung open. One minute she'd been there, and the next she was gone. He sat down and started counting the seconds, wondering if he should tell her his secret. It seemed only fair. He'd just reached 5 seconds when Bessie zipped back, creating a miniature sand storm in her wake, a palm leaf clutched tightly in her hand.

'Urgh,' she said. 'I hate running on sand.'

Aaron stared at the palm leaf and she handed it to him, a triumphant grin on her face. 'I wasn't sure if you'd believe me when I said that it came from Cali,' she said. 'So I brought you this as well.'

She held out a leaflet and Aaron started at that too. It was a leaflet for the 1011 12th Espresso Bar in Sacramento.

'Okay, I believe you,' Aaron said, putting the leaflet and palm leaf on the ground. 'And there's something I have to show you too. Remember when we first met? And I told you I came in through the upstairs window? Remember I told you I had a dorm in MIT and didn't live off campus? I was lying.'

Bessie stared at him. 'Wait, you _lied _to me about that?'

'Please, hear me out,' Aaron pleaded. 'I didn't know if I could trust you! I mean we'd just met and if I told you I could…' he trailed off and thought for a few seconds. 'You know something; I'll just have to show you.'

He raised one of his hands and said, 'okay, my turn, what would you like me to fetch for you?'

Bessie considered. 'Um… I'd like you to fetch my MIT ruler from off my desk in my flat.'

'Done.' Aaron snapped his fingers and disappeared.

Now it was Bessie's turn to stare.

He reappeared barely a second later, a bendable ruler clutched in his hand. 'Ta-da!' he said, holding it out to her.

Bessie took it and grinned. 'So we're both freaks then,' she said, suddenly happy that she wasn't alone.

'Freaks United,' Aaron said.

Bessie laughed.


End file.
